Category: Brief histories of famous people across the world and ages

By Tim Lambert Her Early Life Catherine the Great was born Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst in Stettin, Prussia on 2 May 1729. Her father was a German prince. It was decided she should marry Peter, the heir to the throne of Russia. She moved to Russia in 1744 and changed her name to Catherine.… Continue reading A Brief Biography of Catherine the Great

By Tim Lambert Her Early Life Charlotte Bronte was a great writer of the early 19th century. Charlotte was born on 21 April 1816 at the parsonage in Market Street in Thornton near the rapidly growing town of Bradford. Her father was Reverend Patrick Bronte. Her mother was Maria. They had 6 children. However, two… Continue reading A Brief Biography of Charlotte Bronte

By Tim Lambert Christine de Pizan was a great woman writer of the Middle Ages. Her father Tommaso was a famous academic and she was born in Italy in about 1363. When she was an infant Christine and her family moved to France, where her father was employed by the French king. In 1379 Christine… Continue reading A Brief Biography of Christine de Pizan

By Tim Lambert Gertrude Bell was a great writer and archaeologist of the early 20th century. She was born in Washington, County Durham on 14 July 1868. Her father was the wealthy owner of an ironworks. Sadly her mother died when Gertrude was only 3 but her father remarried. Gertrude was a very intelligent woman… Continue reading A Brief Biography of Gertrude Bell

By Tim Lambert James Watt was a great Scottish engineer of the 18th century. He did not invent the steam engine. Instead, he greatly improved it. A man named Thomas Savery invented the first primitive steam engine in 1698. A man named Newcomen started making steam engines to pump water from mines in 1712. However,… Continue reading A Brief Biography of James Watt

By Tim Lambert His Early Life John Dalton was a great scientist of the early 19th century. He is famous for his theory of atoms. Dalton was born on 6 September 1766 in Eaglesfield, Cumbria, England. His father, Joseph Dalton was a weaver. His mother was called Deborah and the couple had 4 children. John… Continue reading A Brief Biography of John Dalton

By Tim Lambert His Early Life John Milton was a great English writer of the 17th Century. Milton was also a great believer in liberty. Milton was born in Bread Street in London on 9 December 1608. His father also called John was a scrivener (a man who wrote contracts and other legal documents). His… Continue reading A Brief Biography of John Milton

By Tim Lambert His Early Life Joseph Priestley was a great chemist of the 18th century. Priestley was born in Yorkshire on 24 March 1733. He was one of 6 children. Joseph could not go to university because he was a dissenter (a Protestant who did not belong to the Church of England). Instead in… Continue reading A Brief Biography of Joseph Priestley

By Tim Lambert His early life Robert Boyle was one of the great 17th century scientists. He was an outstanding chemist. Robert Boyle was born on 25 January 1627. Robert was the 7th son of Richard Boyle the first Earl of Cork and his wife Catherine (who died in 1630). In 1635 when he was… Continue reading A Brief Biography of Robert Boyle

By Tim Lambert Alfred the Great was born in Wantage, Oxfordshire in 849. He was the youngest son of King Aethelwulf of Wessex. (In those days England was divided into four kingdoms, Northumbria in the north, East Anglia and Mercia in the Midlands, and Wessex in the south). In 868 Alfred married Ealhswith. King Alfred… Continue reading King Alfred and the Danes